To 35 students and 10 faculty members, Spring Break meant a week spent in John’s Island, South Carolina, reconstructing houses in dire need of repair. As the students rotated through different projects at three different sites, the often labor-intensive tasks included repairing roofs, constructing a porch, painting a house, replacing floors and windows, as well as constructing a handicapped-accessible bathroom. The alternative spring break trip was first introduced to Phillips Academy in 1996 with the help of Reverend Michael Ebner, Chaplain and leader of the group, and Chad Green, Director of Community Service. The program is in collaboration with Rural Mission, a local faith-based organization focused on improving the quality of life for residents. “The trip is an educational opportunity through hands-on experience,” Rev. Ebner said. “It allows people to deepen their own understandings of rural poverty, the impact of progress on a culture and what our civic responsibility is to people who are less fortunate.” In a completely different environment from that of Andover, students and faculty worked together in creative problem solving, giving back to the community, and building relationships with both the community and each other. Because the island is separated from the mainland, a lot of the culture has been preserved. The residents spoke Gullah, a dialect created from English and several West African languages, making communication harder. However, from customizing the repairs to the residents’ requests to finding a resident’s massive record player, it was clear a little more effort to get past the language barrier wouldn’t stop students from getting to know the community. As part of culture orientation on the island, the group attended a Sunday church service, where they were encouraged to spread out in the pews and interact with the community. “The local people of the Gullah communities are very spiritual and have a deep Christian faith that is very much a part of the trip,” Rev. Ebner said. “I think it was a very different religious experience for many people,” said Adrienne Marshall, Teaching Fellow in Community Service and one of the trip’s faculty advisors. “It was more vocal and community participatory.” There were also student-led meetings every night, where the students could reflect on their experiences and thoughts. “The students were very open, and there was a lot of genuine discussion. A frequent topic was what we can do to help, not only in Johns Island, but the world as a whole,” Adrienne Marshall said. “In a way, the trip has its own spirit,” Annie Heindel, Teaching Fellow in Community Service and another of the trip’s faculty advisors, said. For this reason, returning students, who made up over half the participants, are given priority in acceptance so that they can try to maintain the essence of the trip. Three-quarters of the faculty participants were also returning members. Although the geographic isolation has retained a lot of the island’s culture, modern influence has affected the island, and the area is starting to turn into a resort and tourist attraction. “I think part of the shock is seeing these houses that are falling apart right next to multi-million dollar houses, which is closer to what the students are more used to seeing,” said Adrienne Marshall. David Koppel ’08 found that it was hard to limit himself to certain projects instead of trying to help out with everything. “When you see the homes that these people are living in you realize how much help they really need, and it’s difficult not to be able to do everything you possibly can,” he said. Annie Heindel agreed. “I think the general sentiment will always be ‘I wish we could’ve done more,’ no matter how much we do or how long we stay.” “[The trip] was great… filled with trust, teamwork and a true “Non Sibi” feeling. I just wish we could put it in a bottle and take a sip on those days when people are bickering, whining, and thinking about themselves,” said Coach Leon Modeste, one of the faculty advisors on the trip. “Alas, the memories will have to quench our thirsts.”
